U.S. publishes Final Rule on Arctic OCS drilling

JULY 8, 2016 — The U.S. Department of the Interior has released final regulations for any future exploratory drilling activities on the U.S. Arctic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS.)

"With the United States as Chair of the Arctic Council, we are committed to demonstrating our leadership in governance and activities in the Arctic Region," said Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Janice Schneider, "The regulations we are issuing today support the Administration's thoughtful and balanced approach to any oil and gas exploration in the Arctic region. The rules help ensure that any exploratory drilling operations in this highly challenging environment will be conducted in a safe and environmentally responsible manner, while protecting the marine, coastal, and human environments, and Alaska Natives' cultural traditions and access to subsistence resources."

The Arctic-specific regulations focus solely on OCS exploratory drilling operations from floating vessels within the U.S. Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.

The regulations codify and further develop current Arctic-specific operational standards to ensure that operators take the necessary steps to plan through all phases of OCS exploration in the Arctic, including mobilization, maritime transport and emergency response, and the conduct of safe drilling operations while in theater.

"The unique Arctic environment raises substantial operational challenges," said Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Abigail Ross Hopper. "These new regulations are carefully tailored to ensure that any future exploration activities will be conducted in a way that respects and protects this incredible ecosystem and the Alaska Native subsistence activities that depend on its preservation."

Specifically, the final rule requires operators to develop an Integrated Operations Plan addressing all phases of a proposed Arctic OCS exploration program and submit it to BOEM in advance of filing an Exploration Plan.

The regulations require companies to have access to – and the ability to promptly deploy – source control and containment equipment, such as capping stacks and containment domes, while drilling below or working below the surface casing.

Operators also must have access to a separate relief rig able to drill a timely relief well under the conditions expected at the site in the event of a loss of well control; have the capability to predict, track, report, and respond to ice conditions and adverse weather events; effectively manage and oversee contractors; and develop and implement an Oil Spill Response Plan designed and executed in a manner that accounts for the unique Arctic OCS operating environment, and is supported with the necessary equipment, training, and personnel for oil spill response on the Arctic OCS.

The regulations complement the previously announced Final Well Control Rule, released in April. While the Well Control Rule applies across the entirety of the OCS, including the Arctic OCS, many of the provisions of the final Arctic regulations a go beyond the scope of the Well Control Rule and address the unique challenges posed by the Arctic operating environment, especially provisions that put in place systems and processes to further reduce risk and provide rigorous safeguards for Alaska's North Slope coastal communities and the sensitive Arctic environment.

Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) developed the regulations with significant public input from the State of Alaska, North Slope communities, Alaska Native tribes and organizations, industry, and non-governmental organizations. An Environmental Assessment, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, was also prepared in conjunction with this rule and more than 100,000 individual comments were received on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

Although there have been Arctic lease relinquishments, operators continue to hold a number of leases in the Beaufort Sea Planning Area and one in the Chukchi Sea Planning Area that have not expired. The Department of the Interior says that "finalizing these regulations will ensure that, should operators decide to act upon their leases or any future leases in these Planning Areas, they will operate with robust safety and environmental protections in place."http://bit.ly/29FUPU2